The SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University has partnered with Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs, on a series of events exploring how democracy can respond to rising global disruption. The partnership will draw in scholars, civil society leaders, and young people from more than 90 countries to focus on democratic renewal across borders and generations.
Together, the two institutions will lead a series of summer events centered on the question: How can democratic resilience and renewal be supported across borders and movements? The collaboration begins with an online challenge hosted by Chatham House’s Common Futures Conversations platform, where participants aged 18 to 34 share ideas and personal experiences in response to democratic backsliding in their countries and communities.
On June 10, SNF Agora and Chatham House will co-host a webinar with members of the Common Futures community. The 90-minute session will feature speakers from different sectors and regions, with time for small group discussion and participant reflection. Insights from the webinar will help shape two key sessions at the 2025 London Conference, Chatham House’s flagship annual event, where SNF Agora will serve as the conference’s official Insights Partner.
At the London Conference on June 19, SNF Agora will co-lead a spotlight session titled “Democratic resilience in the face of global disruption” and a youth-oriented roundtable known as the Next Generation Futures Forum. The spotlight session will feature SNF Agora senior fellow Anne Applebaum, a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, former Umbrella Movement leader and Hong Kong legislator Nathan Law, and Zambian researcher and human rights advocate Grace Gondwe, among others. Speakers will examine the threats democratic systems face and strategies that work to resist authoritarianism and build stronger civic institutions.
The Futures Forum will convene 30 early-career participants from Chatham House’s youth networks and the Common Futures community for a facilitated small-group workshop on democratic renewal and civic action. The session will build on the online challenge and June 10 webinar, giving young people space to share practical strategies and connect with peers working on similar issues in different countries.
Bronwen Maddox, director and chief executive of Chatham House, said she very much welcomed the partnership and the work of both organizations in the realm of democratic renewal and upholding the rule of law. “SNF Agora brings academic depth and civic insight to the global conversation on democracy during a critical period,” explains Maddox. “Their work contributes to Chatham House’s goal of striving to build a more secure, sustainable, prosperous and just world.”
“This partnership brings together two institutions deeply invested in reimagining democracy for the twenty-first century,” said Hahrie Han, inaugural director of the SNF Agora Institute. “By joining Chatham House at their global convening, we hope to elevate the voices of scholars, civic leaders, and young changemakers who strengthen democracy where they live.”
A final webinar, planned for later this summer, will reconnect participants and share takeaways from the London sessions with a broader public audience. That session will focus on sense-making and the next steps for collaborative work across institutions, movements, and regions.
This partnership reflects the alignment between Chatham House’s mission to support inclusive governance and sustainable societies and SNF Agora’s work to strengthen pluralistic democracy through research, teaching, and practice. By working together, the two institutions aim to create space for informed civic dialogue and help a rising generation shape the future of democracy.